In The Moonlight
by iloveromance
Summary: At the Snow Ball with the woman of his dreams, Niles takes a bold step to win her heart. A romantic retelling of the Snow Ball scene in "Moon Dance".


It was a perfect night; even more perfect than Niles had ever dreamed. Here he was at the Snow Ball, sharing a tango with the woman of his dreams.

To hell with Marjorie Nash!

Sure, he found her attractive and sure he was disappointed when she canceled on him, but fate intervened (_boy_ had it intervened!), and now he found himself in the arms of the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Let it out, Niles! Let it all out!" She cried in that sweet voice of hers.

"Oh Daphne! I adore you!"

Dear God, had he really said that?

He covered his mouth with his trembling hand; fully aware of his steadily increasing heartbeat.

"I adore you too!"

Niles spun around to face her, unable to believe what he'd just heard.

"What?"

"I adore you too!" She repeated.

This had to be a dream, for there was no other explanation.

"How I've longed to hear those words!" He said, hoping she wouldn't hear the nervousness in his voice.

"How I've longed to say them!"

At that moment, his love for her deepened even further into something so passionate, that he could no longer hold back his feelings.

"You're beautiful! You're a goddess!" He blurted out.

"I don't want this moment to end!" Daphne cried.

"Then let's not let it!"

He twirled her around and as the music ended, relished in the applause that followed.

Slowly Niles raised Daphne to her feet and looked deeply into her eyes.

"This is the most glorious night of my life."

"Mine too." She replied.

Then the most wonderful thing happened...

Daphne kissed him, a tender kiss that he'd never forget as long as he lived.

He never dreamed that those beautiful, perfect lips would feel so soft against his and his knees began to weaken.

She must have felt something too, because her head leaned against his and the touch of her silky hair against his was pure heaven.

Suddenly he caught a glimpse of Maris' friends watching them, and he grinned in triumph.

Feeling happier than he'd ever felt in his life, he led her to a nearby table and sat down across from her.

"Oh Daphne, that was... the most incredible thing I've ever done in my life."

"You were wonderful, Niles. I knew you could do it!"

"It's all because of you."

Unable to stop smiling, he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips for a kiss.

Her hand was soft and warm and he couldn't resist rubbing his thumb over her silky smooth skin.

"Do you have any idea what I'm feeling right now?"

"I feel it too, Niles."

He stared at her in disbelief. Could it really be possible?

"Y-you do?"

To his surprise, Daphne kissed his hand; a gesture that sent his emotions whirling out of control.

"Oh yes..." She breathed.

He glanced out the window, trying to avoid eye contact with Maris' friends Andrew and Lacey, who were glancing in his direction.

"Daphne?"

"Yes, Niles?"

"It's a beautiful night. Would you like to go outside?"

"But what about the rest of the ball? I thought we were going to dance the night away!"

"Please? Just for a moment? It's getting rather warm in here and I could really use some air."

She smiled and took his hand. "Of course we can! That sounds like a lovely idea."

* * *

><p>Their fingers entwined, Niles led Daphne down a curved walkway until they came to a beautiful garden.<p>

"How did you find this place? It's so secluded."

Niles smiled shyly. "Oh... Well, Frasier and I have been to many social functions here and-."

"It doesn't matter." Daphne said, leading Niles to a wooden bench.

"Why don't we just sit here and enjoy the evening? Are you having a good time, Niles?"

He sighed and kissed her hand once more. "I'm having the most incredible evening of my life! In fact, since we're away from the distractions, there's something I need to say."

"Is something wrong?"

"No, Daphne... In fact everything is perfect. Because you're here."

Daphne blushed deeply. "Dr. Crane... Niles... that's very sweet of you to say, but -."

He reached out and brushed a fallen lock of hair from her forehead, letting his hand linger on her cheek.

"Daphne, I-."

She shivered at his touch and stared into his beautiful blue eyes.

And before she knew what was happening, he was kissing her again.

With more abruptness than she intended, she pulled away.

"Niles, what are you doing?"

"Something I should have done a long time ago."

When he kissed her with more passion than before, she knew what his intentions were.

Well, if it was a show that those gossipy twits wanted, that's exactly what they would get!

She slid her arms around Niles and kissed him deeper, running her fingers through his hair.

"I love you Daphne." Niles said, stroking her hair.

"Oh, Niles... I love you too!." She replied as dramatically as possible.

With a smile on her face, she turned in anticipation of seeing the shocked glances of the snobby men and women who wanted nothing more than to see Niles alone and hurting.

But when she realized that they were alone, her heart began to race. Nervously she turned to face him, gasping lightly when he kissed her once more.

The look in his eyes told her everything she wanted to know.

"Those sweet things you've been saying to me all night... You were being sincere..."

"Of course, Daphne. I meant every word. You're beautiful and a goddess and I absolutely adore you!"

She looked up at the gorgeous full moon and twinkling stars. It was truly the most stunning night sky she had ever seen.

"Y-you mean..."

He smiled and touched her cheek in a feather light gesture. "I'm in love with you, Daphne."

Her eyes filled with tears and she stared at him in disbelief.

This man... this truly wonderful man for whom she'd grown to care about so deeply and who had become a trusted friend... had just declared his love for her.

"Y-you love me?"

"Oh Daphne... I've loved you since the moment I first laid eyes on you!"

When she spoke, the words were barely a whisper.

"But why?"

"My angel, do you really have to ask? I can't possibly begin to list all the reasons that I love you. There are far too many."

She brushed the tears from her cheeks, hoping he wouldn't notice her crying in the moonlight.

"No... I mean... why didn't you say anything before?"

He laced his fingers through hers and kissed her hand; his lips lingering on her skin.

"I was afraid you wouldn't share my feelings, and I couldn't bear the thought. But when you kissed me on the dance floor... I knew..."

Daphne swallowed hard. "Y-you knew _what_?"

"That you love me, too."

Her breath caught in her throat. How could she have been so stupid?

She should never have offered to be his date, but she felt terrible when that Marjorie person canceled; and she just couldn't let all their hard work go to waste. He deserved to have his moment of glory.

But no one deserved to have their heart broken; especially someone as kind as Niles.

She had to tell him the truth; no matter how much it hurt. Anything less might jeopardize their friendship and she treasured it more than he would ever know.

"Niles?"

"Yes, my angel?"

Her heart melted. Why did he have to be so sweet? The thought of hurting him brought tears to her eyes and she quickly looked away.

"What's wrong?" he asked in an incredibly sweet voice.

Unable to look at him, she rose from the bench.

"I'll be back in a few minutes."

* * *

><p>Before he could respond, she ran to the ballroom, ignoring the amused look of Maris' snobbish friends.<p>

In the ladies room she peered into the large mirror that hung from the wall, praying that she wouldn't be joined by any unwanted company.

The last thing she needed to hear was some presumptuous women saying horrid things about the man she loved!

_The man she loved..._

The words filled her mind over and over, as though she'd spoken them out loud.

Why had she even thought such a thing? She wasn't in love!

The more she tried to deny it, the more her heart protested.

And as the elder Dr. Crane told her time and time again... the heart never lies.

She took a deep breath, trying to ignore the tightness in her chest. But she knew the feeling well.

It was the same sensation that she'd experienced many times before when she'd felt a strong attraction to a man; a man that she was sure was the true love of her life. However, the feeling was usually a dull ache and never lasted very long at all.

But this time the emotion was stronger than ever... and it showed no signs of going away.

A feeling like this only meant one thing...

She was deeply in love with Niles.

* * *

><p>Applying just a touch of lipstick and a bit of perfume that Niles loved so much, Daphne opened the ladies room door and made her way into the ballroom.<p>

To her surprise, she found Niles waiting for her.

"Daphne?"

"I'm so sorry to keep you, Niles. I just-."

The smile left his face, replaced by a look of concern that touched her heart.

"You have tears in your eyes. Are you all right?"

She covered his hand with hers and smiled nervously.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Certainly. What's on your mind?"

"A-actually I was hoping we could go back to the garden. It's so beautiful there."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea."

He led her outside and down the now-familiar pathway to the bench where he'd professed his love for her.

They sat down on the bench and she took his hands in hers.

"Niles? I owe you an apology."

Niles smiled and kissed her cheek . "Oh my angel, what could you possibly be apologizing for?"

"When we were dancing and you were saying all of those sweet things to me... Well... I'm afraid that I didn't take you very seriously. You see... I thought it was all just an act. Those gossipy twits were being so cruel and hurtful and...I was just tryin' to help. I had no idea you were so sincere in your feelings. I'm so sorry, Niles."

Clearly hurt, he looked down at the ground and Daphne's heart sank as she laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm so-."

There was a long uncomfortable silence.

"It's all right, Daphne." He said; the sadness heavy in his voice. "It was my fault. I wasn't intending on blurting out my feelings the way I did. But the music was so romantic and you look... so beautiful... stunning actually. I couldn't help myself. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm not feeling very well. Would you mind if we just went home?"

"Oh Dr. Crane... Niles..."

"Call me _Dr. Crane_." He said; startling her with his abruptness. "Are you ready to go, Daphne?"

Reluctantly she followed him back into the ballroom, painfully aware of the glances that they received.

* * *

><p>"Niles, wait!"<p>

He stopped in the middle of the dance floor and turned to her.

Her heart raced as she stared at him unable to speak.

"What's wrong?"

It was only then that she realized the music had ceased and all eyes were on them.

"Dr. Crane... Niles... There's something I want to say."

"I think you've said enough for one evening."

The words cut through her like a knife, the pain worsening when she heard scattered murmuring around the room.

Finally he sighed deeply. "Well? What did you want to say?"

She moved toward him and reached out to touch his cheek.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you, Niles. I just... I didn't want these inconsiderate socialites to cause you any more pain."

She turned away and started to cry, no longer caring that she had an audience.

"Thank you, Daphne. And I'm sorry for being so abrupt. But since we've obviously made a scene here that will surely get back to Maris, we should probably go to avoid any further embarrassment."

Slowly she turned around once more, the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You're right, Niles. But there's one thing that I think Maris needs to hear."

"Daphne, what could you possibly say that would be of any concern to Maris?"

"I love you, Niles Crane."

A collective gasp could be heard around the ballroom.

He stared at her in stunned amazement, and then to her relief, he smiled.

When he opened his mouth to speak, she moved toward him and took him in her arms; caressing his cheek. "You don't have to say anything. You've already said so many wonderful things to me; words I'll never forget as long as I live. I love you, Niles."

He grinned and hugged her warmly.

"I-I love you too, Daphne."

And then his mouth came down on hers in the most tender, passionate and meaningful kiss she'd ever experienced in her life.

The kisses lingered on and on and finally the orchestra resumed playing; a slow romantic ballad that she'd loved since she was a girl in Manchester.

"Dance with me, Niles?"

"Oh... I don't think we practiced dancing to such a slow song."

"That's okay. I'll show you."

He took her hand and led her to the middle of the wooden dance floor, then slid his arm around her waist.

"Now, just follow my lead." She whispered into his ear.

As they swayed back and forth to the music, she touched his face and kissed him deeply.

When the kiss ended, Niles touched his forehead to hers and smiled.

"I think I like this dance most of all. Shall we try it again?"

Daphne smiled and ran her fingers through his silky blonde hair.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea."

**THE END**

**A/N: Thanks so much to Kristen for suggesting that I write this story! *hugs***


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